In a March 3 interview at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., Gen. John Raymond, commander of U.S. Space Forces Command, expressed concern about the Chinese Communist Party‘s space threat. He said the Chinese Communist Party is developing space capabilities for military use that would pose a threat to the United States and space allies.
General Raymond said the Communist Party has developed jammers to interfere with civilian communications satellites in the U.S. Global Positioning Satellite (GPS), which Americans rely on for daily Life; laser systems to blind or damage U.S. satellites; and cyber systems to attempt future intrusions into U.S. satellite systems.
General Raymond said that the CCP has a satellite in orbit fitted with a robotic arm that can wrap itself around another satellite.
General Raymond also mentioned that the Chinese Communist Party launched a missile in 2007 to destroy a self-launched satellite in low Earth orbit, creating a large swath of satellite debris that, to this day, remains in space in about 3,000 pieces.
He said such destructive practices by the Chinese Communist Party, as well as cyber threats, among others, are increasingly triggering the United States and other countries to take active defense measures.
General Raymond described the strong and close partnership between the U.S. Space Force and private companies such as SpaceX. Commercial satellites built by private U.S. companies are beginning to develop commercial tracking services that can track targets in space. The U.S. Air Force will take more advantage of these private sector partnerships.
The U.S. Air Force’s SpaceX launch system launched the X-37B spaceplane on a highly classified mission into space orbit last May 16 for a long-term flight. On May 30 last year, SpaceX successfully launched a manned spacecraft into space and successfully docked it with the International Space Station.
SpaceX has also told the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) that it will build about 120 satellites a month, according to the website express.co.uk last year.
General Raymond described one of the areas where the TAAF is working together with allies and partner companies to develop actionable norms of space conduct that operate in a transparent, safe and professional manner to maintain a secure peace in space. Their professional planning can assist other nations in meeting technical targets and avoiding the creation of debris or junk in space.
In response to a question from the moderator, General Raymond said the Biden administration supports the Space Force. “I think it’s clear that it’s not a political issue, it’s a national security issue. It’s the foundation of our national security and the power of all nations,” he said.
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